A Lakewood, Ohio bartender is in hot water for a derogatory homosexual reference she printed on a receipt. Now, photos of the offensive gesture have gone viral. According to News 8000, Alissa Maugens is a 23-year-old bartender at Lakewood’s West End Tavern. However, she may not be employed by the establishment for much longer due to the overwhelming backlash the restaurant has received over her comments.

According to ABC-6, Maugens was serving a group of her friends at the bar on Sunday, May 17. Apparently she thought it would be comical to replace their names on the receipt with an offensive reference toward homosexuals. She allegedly printed a three-letter derogatory word on the receipt, but Maugens insists she didn’t intend to offend anyone. Even one of her friends she served that day explained how the receipt was just a joke.

“Nothing was meant to be malicious about it,” Andrew Rollings said.

However, social media users aren’t finding the humor in it. Once the picture hit the Internet, it didn’t take long for social media users to voice their disapproval. Needless to say, not too many people have found the humor in the seemingly offensive joke.

The photo, which was initially shared via SnapChat by one of Rollings’ cousins, caught the attention of another friend who shared it on Facebook. That’s when the critical comments started pouring in.

The overwhelming response to the viral photo also caught the attention of local news stations. During a recent news interview, Maugens explained that the misunderstanding was merely a joke. “I understand it’s a very sensitive thing, but it wasn’t meant to be offensive toward anyone,” Maugens said.

Although Maugens apologized for her actions, unfortunately, the damage had already been done. Now, she and her friends have learned a very serious lesson regarding work etiquette; some things should never be said or written on a bar receipt.

Of course, when the offense is compounded by a social media posting that leads to outrage, the result is likely to be catastrophic for Ms. Maugens. “Something like that shouldn’t be put out there,” Rollings said. “It’s something amongst friends. Just joking around.”